Simsbury Attorney Dwight Merriam Named One of '2020's Top 50 Lawyers in Real Estate' by Commercial Real Estate Publication "Connect Media"
50 Top Lawyers in United States Cited for "Excelling in their Practices and Contributing to their Communities"
DENVER, December 15, 2020 (Newswire.com) - Dwight Merriam of Simsbury, a nationally pre-eminent land use and real estate attorney, was recently selected as one of "2020's Top 50 Lawyers in Real Estate" in America by the Commercial Real Estate Publication "Connect Media". For the magazine's inaugural "Top 50 Lawyers in Real Estate" awards, 50 attorneys from around the United States were chosen from a variety of disciplines. Criteria for selection included excelling in their practices and contributing to their communities. In its presentation of the 2020 Award Winners, "Connect Media" said:
"In recognizing Dwight Merriam for its first annual New England Trailblazers publication last year, the Connecticut Law Tribune called the four-decade legal veteran 'a major figure in American planning law.'
"The Connecticut Law Tribune says Merriam is 'one of just a handful of nationally-recognized true planner-lawyers, fully credentialed in both professions.' It was his desire to advocate for individual rights that drew him away from pursuing a career in planning to one in the law during his formative years, according to the Tribune.
"Dwight has distinguished himself in both his practice and in the larger community."
Nominations for the Connect Media 2020 Top Lawyers Award were received nationally and from each of the 10 areas covered by Connect Media's regional newsletters in California, Texas, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Florida, Seattle, Phoenix and Washington, DC.
Dwight Merriam is a Fellow and Past President of the American Institute of Certified Planners; a former Director of the American Planning Association; a former chair of APA's Planning and Law Division; a former chair of the American Bar Association's national Section of State and Local Government Law; the Connecticut member of Owners' Counsel of America; a former Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors; a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation; a member of the Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute National Advisory Board; a Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation; a Counselor of Real Estate; a member of the AARPI, and a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
He has taught land use law at the University of Memphis, the University of Bridgeport, Vermont Law School, the University of Connecticut School of Law, and the Quinnipiac University School of Law. Merriam has published more than 200 articles and 13 books. He is lead author of the leading casebook in his field, Planning and Control of Land Development, and co-editor of the leading treatise in the field, Rathkopf's The Law of Zoning and Planning 4th.
Dwight Merriam is also a retired Navy Captain (Surface Warfare), having served seven years of active duty including three Vietnam tours and 24 more years in the U.S. Navy Reserve.
Source: Owners' Counsel of America Executive Director